A ruthless German spy (Sutherland) discovers the secrets behind the Normandy landings and tries to give the information to the Nazis, committing a few murders in the process. But he finds himself stranded on an island, the guest of a bitter, legless sheep farmer (Casenove), his lonely wife (Nelligan), and their little boy. Southerland tries desperately to contact the U-boat waiting for him offshore but is shot and killed by Nelligan.
There are weaknesses here and there in the plot. I think we know, the moment we see the young boy, that he's going to wind up in the clutches of Sutherland's spy. And Casenove doesn't clean and oil his big revolver in an early scene for nothing. And there is a scene towards the end that resembles the "Straw Dogs" situation, with Southerland trying to sneak into a barricaded stone lighthouse.
That's about it for the conventional stuff. The rest is pretty original, noticeably above average. And the performances are above par too, including those of Sutherland, who must manage to put on screen a far more complex character than the opening scenes of murder and betrayal reveal. Nelligan is attractive -- nurturing and sexy at the same time -- without being stunningly gorgeous. Cazenove is often in roles requiring him to be treacherous and weak. He's weak here too, both physically and psychologically, but clever and brave as well.
I'll just say a few words about Sutherland's character, Henry Baker, whose code name is "Der Nadel" (the needle). All we know of him after the first half hour is that he is a dedicated Nazi spy and a cold-blooded killer. Scotland Yard agents (who include the superlative Ian Bannon) mention in passing that Sutherland was a brilliant student at military school but was raised in a frigid family. He was never married but had one passionate affair. (He later reveals that he killed the woman because she broke his heart.) His lifelong loneliness synchronizes later with Kate Nelligan's emotional isolation and her glandular glow -- her husband is capable of making love to her but avoids both talk and physical contact. Sutherland envies the couple and their grand isolation. (Applause for the set decorator.) He longs to be left alone on an island with Nelligan and her son. Asked earlier by another agent how one could possibly avoid ruthlessness and killing, Sutherland replies, "One can stop." And, although Sutherland doesn't "stop," he eases off enough at the end to let Nelligan live, and she kills him for it.
When Southerland is cast up on the doorstep of their cottage like a piece of rotting kelp from another world entirely, the couple take him in. Nelligan is delighted to have company. Casenove is suspicious and distant. During his first night in their home, while Casenove sleeps, she reveals her soul to him, reluctantly but honestly, and he responds not like a manipulative German agent but like a sympathetic shrink who knows exactly where she's coming from. Southerland says that he envies their son for being loved. "Every child is loved," says Nelligan. And Southerland replies that, no, sometimes children can be nothing more than instruments to fill the ambitions of their parents. And we know he's talking about his own childhood.
The ending is as tragic as it is because the writers, the director, and the actors have given us a glimpse into Southerland that has turned him into a recognizable human being instead of just another action-movie stereotype.
The photography is fine. Miklos Rosza's score is recycled from dozens of his earlier films.
Neatly done. Worth watching. An adult film, not in the cheap sense of the word.
There are weaknesses here and there in the plot. I think we know, the moment we see the young boy, that he's going to wind up in the clutches of Sutherland's spy. And Casenove doesn't clean and oil his big revolver in an early scene for nothing. And there is a scene towards the end that resembles the "Straw Dogs" situation, with Southerland trying to sneak into a barricaded stone lighthouse.
That's about it for the conventional stuff. The rest is pretty original, noticeably above average. And the performances are above par too, including those of Sutherland, who must manage to put on screen a far more complex character than the opening scenes of murder and betrayal reveal. Nelligan is attractive -- nurturing and sexy at the same time -- without being stunningly gorgeous. Cazenove is often in roles requiring him to be treacherous and weak. He's weak here too, both physically and psychologically, but clever and brave as well.
I'll just say a few words about Sutherland's character, Henry Baker, whose code name is "Der Nadel" (the needle). All we know of him after the first half hour is that he is a dedicated Nazi spy and a cold-blooded killer. Scotland Yard agents (who include the superlative Ian Bannon) mention in passing that Sutherland was a brilliant student at military school but was raised in a frigid family. He was never married but had one passionate affair. (He later reveals that he killed the woman because she broke his heart.) His lifelong loneliness synchronizes later with Kate Nelligan's emotional isolation and her glandular glow -- her husband is capable of making love to her but avoids both talk and physical contact. Sutherland envies the couple and their grand isolation. (Applause for the set decorator.) He longs to be left alone on an island with Nelligan and her son. Asked earlier by another agent how one could possibly avoid ruthlessness and killing, Sutherland replies, "One can stop." And, although Sutherland doesn't "stop," he eases off enough at the end to let Nelligan live, and she kills him for it.
When Southerland is cast up on the doorstep of their cottage like a piece of rotting kelp from another world entirely, the couple take him in. Nelligan is delighted to have company. Casenove is suspicious and distant. During his first night in their home, while Casenove sleeps, she reveals her soul to him, reluctantly but honestly, and he responds not like a manipulative German agent but like a sympathetic shrink who knows exactly where she's coming from. Southerland says that he envies their son for being loved. "Every child is loved," says Nelligan. And Southerland replies that, no, sometimes children can be nothing more than instruments to fill the ambitions of their parents. And we know he's talking about his own childhood.
The ending is as tragic as it is because the writers, the director, and the actors have given us a glimpse into Southerland that has turned him into a recognizable human being instead of just another action-movie stereotype.
The photography is fine. Miklos Rosza's score is recycled from dozens of his earlier films.
Neatly done. Worth watching. An adult film, not in the cheap sense of the word.